2 wireless cards better than only 1 card?

D

DKTVPN

Weaksauce
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Jun 20, 2004
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My laptop keeps dropping signal a lot so I wonder if I buy a USB/PCMCIA card to put in to get the stronger "STAY CONNECTED", is it true?
If 1 fail the other stays connected, right?
Are there any conflicts if I use both at the same time or I need to disable the built-in?
If both can work they will double the bandwith?
And how about using 3 cards: built-in, USB and PCMCIA or more (there are 4 USB ports on my laptop) to get even better signal?
 
I think I'll just say no to your entire post. If your new card has a better antenna then it might get a better signal, but it's not going to get a better signal just because it is a second card.
 
Let me expand... You can only connect to a specific network once on one comp. You can have two cards, but you can only use one at a time for connecting to your home network. You could connect to a second nearby network if you wanted at the same time with that second card, and maybe even bridge them (thereby joining both networks via your comp) but the point is that's basically all you can do. The only way it would inrease your signal strength would be if the second card had a better reception and you happened to be connecting to your home network with that second, better card.
 
Matt Welke said:
Let me expand... You can only connect to a specific network once on one comp. You can have two cards, but you can only use one at a time for connecting to your home network. You could connect to a second nearby network if you wanted at the same time with that second card, and maybe even bridge them (thereby joining both networks via your comp) but the point is that's basically all you can do. The only way it would inrease your signal strength would be if the second card had a better reception and you happened to be connecting to your home network with that second, better card.
Click to expand...


not exactly true but ok

to op: no
 
Matt Welke said:
You can have two cards, but you can only use one at a time for connecting to your home network.
Click to expand...

Not true. I can connect with two wireless cards to a network if I wanted to (and have when I forget to disable the builtin card), but the system will only utilize one of the cards at a time.
 
Malk-a-mite said:
Not true. I can connect with two wireless cards to a network if I wanted to (and have when I forget to disable the builtin card), but the system will only utilize one of the cards at a time.
Click to expand...
I may have read it wrong...but I think you just said the same thing...
 
rayman2k2 said:
can you bridge two wireless connections?
Click to expand...
Certainly. But bridging is not the same as bonding, if that's what you are thinking.
 
jpmkm said:
Certainly. But bridging is not the same as bonding, if that's what you are thinking.
Click to expand...

Technically it can be. I can connect one wireless card to Wireless NW 1 and the other card to Wireless NW 2, bridge the connections, and Windows will load-balance across the two connections. I know this will work because I have done this with a server using two network cards.
 
Fark_Maniac said:
I may have read it wrong...but I think you just said the same thing...
Click to expand...

It's close - the only difference I tried (and apparently failed) to point out is that both cards will connect, both with get addresses, and both could function. The OS will just chose one of the two to do all the work.
 
Malk-a-mite said:
It's close - the only difference I tried (and apparently failed) to point out is that both cards will connect, both with get addresses, and both could function. The OS will just chose one of the two to do all the work.
Click to expand...

Seems I stand corrected on my assumption stated in my previous post. But the end result is pretty much the same... only one card being used.

p.s. To the person who stated it could be done, when you say "load balance between the two networks" do you mean transferring data to computers on both networks at once (which I know can be done) or having the computer load-balance WAN communications accross the ISPs of both networks? If so, that'd be really frakking cool. :)
 
Matt Welke said:
p.s. To the person who stated it could be done, when you say "load balance between the two networks" do you mean transferring data to computers on both networks at once (which I know can be done) or having the computer load-balance WAN communications accross the ISPs of both networks? If so, that'd be really frakking cool. :)
Click to expand...

Yes, in my experience, it will balance the load over the two networks. If one pipe fills up, it will spill over to the other one. Keep in mind I am talking about LAN connections, and not WAN connections.
 
AMD[H]unter said:
Technically it can be. I can connect one wireless card to Wireless NW 1 and the other card to Wireless NW 2, bridge the connections, and Windows will load-balance across the two connections. I know this will work because I have done this with a server using two network cards.
Click to expand...
for a server you should be teaming the cards :p
 
This is cool... I never knew you could do that! So wait a sec... the configuration you're talking about is:

Two switches, two NICs per client, two cables per client; one connecting to each switch?

or

One switch, two NICs per client, two cables per client, all cables connect to same switch (just using more ports)?
 
Matt Welke said:
This is cool... I never knew you could do that! So wait a sec... the configuration you're talking about is:

Two switches, two NICs per client, two cables per client; one connecting to each switch?

or

One switch, two NICs per client, two cables per client, all cables connect to same switch (just using more ports)?
Click to expand...

Thats the one; and yes, it works.
 
Does it require overly complicated setting up and does it require you to be using a "server" version of Windows? I'm running Windows XP Professional... would that do it?
 
I believe in Windows you typically need the network card driver to support interface bonding / load balancing. I know for a fact that Intel server adapters and Broadcom server adapters have excellent driver support for this. Also you can bond ANY adapter using Linux :-D

As for the OP: Having multiple wireless adapters on one PC, if anything, will make it worse. What type of notebook do you have and what type of wireless card does it have? I'd bet you could get a much better connection just by replacing the wireless card. A few years back my sister had a Compaq notebook and the wireless was utter shit. I picked up an Intel 2200BG (around $15 at the time, price is higher now for some reason) and the difrerence was like night and day. Much faster, much better signal, same PC / antennas.
 
Matt Welke said:
Does it require overly complicated setting up and does it require you to be using a "server" version of Windows? I'm running Windows XP Professional... would that do it?
Click to expand...

No, all you do is plug in the two cards to the switch, get two IP's and select both network connections and select bridge.
 
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